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Bark Hike Leader Training Guide

STEPS AND INFORMATION FOR LEADING A BARK ABOUT HIKE

Choose a project or a theme

Deciding which area to bring your hike to can include several factors:

If you have been to a timber sale, development project, trail, or other relevant part of the forest and feel passionate about the area, this will always help make a good hike. Additionally, if you know a Forest Service project is in an important planning phase and could use some public attention, this adds urgency and interest to the hike attendance.

Coming up with a general theme and then picking a place that best exemplifies what you are describing can be as compelling as going to an area with an active proposal. If you are interested in a particular ecological, political or social theme and would like to plan your hike around this instead of a specific project or comment deadline, just be sure to consider how it ties into Bark’s work and vision for Mt. Hood, and how to leverage the information presented in the letters written at the end of the day.

Other factors can be based on access due to weather or distance. The majority of people on the hike will remember the general information about the Forest Service and logging, rather than the specifics of the area. A good hike can be anywhere the hike leader shows interest.

Find a #2

Once you have an idea in mind, reach out to someone you think may be interested in helping to lead the hike with you. Preferably someone you know in the Bark community who is also a hike leader, but it could also be a close friend that you trust to support you. All Bark hikes need to have a #2 so you can feel supported, and in case anything unexpected happens you also have a backup.

Draft a hike blurb

Send a description of the hike and area to michael@bark-out.org for use on the website and in the Bark Alert. See current hike description for guidance, but along with the fundamentals (meetup location, driver expectations, etc.) the blurb should include the general location and theme, as well as any other relevant information regarding the hike’s difficulty or distance. Identify any particular challenges such as steep trails, rough terrain, or streams that are difficult to cross.

This will offer more depth into what is happening beyond the timber sale.

Try to find as many different sets of maps as you can for your project area. The agencies will have some sort of map, and there are various topo maps (Forest Service, USGS, etc.). Google-Earth is another great resource for aerial images of the area. Different types of maps will help the hike attendees understand where they are and why it’s significant, and will also allow folks to come back and show the area to others.

Draft an outline

Start an outline of discussion topics for the hike. Bark introduction, overview of the Forest Service or BLM and public lands, Purpose and Need for logging (as stated by the Forest Service, if applicable), forest ecology features, cumulative impacts, etc. This will help keep so much information organized as you get through the day. It’s usually good to have some planned stops on the hike with corresponding talking points. Be prepared for two commonly asked questions: Elevation of the sale, and nearest known public site (for example, one mile from Bagby Hot Springs, or two miles from Buck Lake, etc).

Consider including a list of a few possible information highlights. Bark-Abouts can be a good excuse to dig deeper on issues and ecology you have been meaning to read more about, but haven’t found the time. This is your hike, if you aren’t having fun then no one else will. Don’t cover a topic because you think you should; rather spend time covering the topics of real interest to you – enthusiasm is contagious and will flow from you to the group. For instance, look up specifics on a tree species, brush up on lichen names, or research something historical about the area. If you are using field guides, bring them along on the hike for others to peruse during lunch or downtime.

Scout for your hike

Often themes of a hike are determined once you have visited the area firsthand. Don’t forget to stage your stops on the hike so that they clearly convey your topic. For stops along the hike where you plan to talk to the whole group, consider spots that can accommodate a clustered or circular group discussion (i.e. not along steep, narrow trails).

Go out to the area and make good notes of markers along the way to share with drivers. Never assume they know an area. Multiple field checks are great, but most important is a final check within a week of the hike. Road conditions and weather changes. Be prepared. When you go out to the area make good notes and mark (Bark can provide flagging) important features (both on the road and in the forest) along the way for yourself and to share with drivers.

Depending on the size of the project and location of roads, try to hike a demonstrative route of the timber sale or other area. If an obvious route is not apparent, look back on the outline and begin to make a set of points in the area that may be a good place for talking points. Begin to connect those points and then walk the route you have chosen, including a good lunch stop. Getting people into and out of cars is difficult. Scope out the parking spots; look for pullouts that are big enough for multiple cars. Hikes with only one parking stop for the cars are easier to manage, but they are not always best if the area is large and good examples of your talking points lie far apart. Flagging your route ahead of time with some distinctive flagging is a great way to avoid getting off-track.

Safety considerations while hike scouting:

Where is the closest definitive care (hostipal, urgent care center)?

Where is the closest phone or phone signal?

Are there potential hazards on your hike? How will you deal with them if they arise? Better, how can they be avoided?

Plan a “gateway” meetup

We always invite folks in communities near Mt. Hood to meet us closer to the forest when the Bark About is in their backyard. The locations and time for meet ups can be flexible based on what your hike destination is. If you are confused about where a good meetup spot would be, just contact a Bark staff person.

After you choose a meet up site and time please let us know. We like to know by Monday morning the week before your hike at the latest. Here are some suggestions for meetup locations:

Estacada – Harmony Bakery at 221 SW Wade St.

Sandy – Highway 26 corridor meet up: Hoodland Shopping Center, at the traffic light, on Hwy. 26 in Welches, or the Zigzag ranger station (there are public restrooms at the ranger station).

Hood River – For hikes in the upper Hwy. 35 corridor the junction of Hwy. 35 and the Cooper Spur Road works well. If you won’t be travelling that far south on 35 then a site in Parkdale (e.g. the Hood River ranger station) or at the Hood River Park & Ride on Hwy. 35.

Create a fact sheet: two-sided, highlight the timber sale/project/area facts (acreage, type of logging, watershed etc.) as well as talking points for writing letters. There may be a fact sheet already existing, so check with Bark staff. If space allows, include map of area on back side of factsheet.

Oregon Department of Transportation - weather forecast, road cameras (to see where there is snow currently on the ground), road conditions: http://www.tripcheck.com

The day of: the Portland meet-up

Arrive at the Hollywood Grocery outet BEFORE 8:45am on Sunday. Once you have a critical mass, round everyone up and discuss:

Waiver forms – Make sure everyone signs in, even if they think we have their information! If someone gets lost this is your most immediate way of identifying them.

Carpools

Numbers for counting off (if group is large)

Check clothing for people’s comfort – it is OK to give improperly prepared people the boot, they can bring the whole hike down a bad path.

Look at Mt. Hood map and point out where you are going

Give directions for drivers

Exchange cell phone numbers with drivers (although often phones are not useful in the forest)

Determine if anyone needs to be back by an exact time

Identify first meeting spot (Usually it is good to meet up sometime before turning onto logging roads and later to meet back there before leaving the area).

On the hike

It’s a good idea to get names of folks and what they’re interested in learning during the day. This can help you recognize what things folks would appreciate more elaboration on. You can also then take the map back out and show folks where they are; this helps folks feel oriented and more connected to where they’ve come so far. Letting people know the itinerary for the day is also a good thing so folks know roughly what to expect (and look forward to!).

At the beginning of the hike, be sure to say a few words about safety depending on the type of hike you are leading. For instance I usually tell people to be certain a tree is still alive before leaning on it, who has the first aid kit, stay close to the group, know your physical limits, etc.

Follow your outline and plan. Try to be calm as distractions and changes occur. Most people are happy just to be out in the forest and are going to be forgiving of any fumbles. Don’t worry about having to carry the conversation at all times. But, keep the hike moving – spend between 7-15 minutes per stop; spending less time makes the hike start-and-stop too much and spending too much more time causes people to get bored. Have someone take pictures! We use these in our web outreach and mailings, and they’re important for demonstrating that we care about the forest and getting folks out to the places we’re trying to protect.

Don’t forget to occasionally count off to be sure everyone is with you.

Write letters to the appropriate agency or elected contact either at lunch or at the end of the hike (if you are confused about who to write to, just ask a Bark staff person). When you return to the cars to leave, make closing points:

Everyone shares their favorite part of the day, or the most interesting thing they learned

“Apples, thorns, and seeds” (if group size allows: have everyone share the best thing from the day, the worst thing, and the thing they would like to follow up on and learn more about

Becoming a member of Bark (you can hold up a donation envelope and explain that members make Bark possible. If you are a member, it can be good incentive to mention.)

Volunteering (many people list on the waiver forms that they don’t want to volunteer, but ask if anyone would like to now that they have been on the hike)

Remind folks to tip their drivers!

Common safety hazards

Bark offers an annual day-long Forest First Aid training with the Rosehip Medic Collective. Please inquire about when the next training is being held and consider attending!

Remember these guiding medic principles: 1)Do no harm; spread calm; 2)Don’t create a second patient; 3)Stay within your scope; 4)Know what to do when you don’t know what to do; 5)Slow is smooth, smooth is fast; and 6)It’s not our emergency

Hypothermia: In winter, hypothermia is probably the most important consideration.

If there is a problem, don't be afraid to end the trip early and get out. Hypothermia can kill.

People can often maintain their body temperature while moving, but as soon as they stop, the body temperature starts to drop. It is better to have several short lunch breaks rather than one long one. If anyone starts to get cold, start moving again.

If someone is feeling cold, things that may help include: jumping jacks or running in circles, drinking water (dehydration is a contributing factor), changing into dry clothes, putting an emergency heat pack in their armpits or groin (these are in the first aid kit – they are inexpensive, don't be afraid to use them).

Oppression is the act of using power to empower and/or privilege a group at the expense of disempowering, marginalizing, silencing, and subordinating another group. Oppression theory is an absolutely essential tool for anyone interested in leading public hikes. Good hike leaders enable their communities to do good political and community work, and go about that effort conscious of the effects of white supremacy, class exploitation, patriarchy, heterosexism, imperialism, globalization, ageism, ablism, sizism, cissexism, xenophobia, monoculturalism, capitalism, and other systems of oppression.

Intersectionality holds that the classical models of oppression within society, such as those based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, class, or disability do not act independently of one another; instead, these forms of oppression interrelate creating a system of oppression that reflects the "inter-section" of multiple forms of discrimination. We cannot be the best advocates possible for Mt. Hood without recognizing intersectionality and working to dismantle oppression in our everyday language around "public land" issues.

Discrimination and oppression are not tolerated at Bark events. If you experience or unknowingly contribute to it on a Bark hike:

Be accountable for your mistakes. Take complaints about your behavior or treatment seriously.

Say that you’re sorry.

Ask if there is anything that you can do.

Know that it is not another person’s job to explain or educate.

It is your job to educate yourself and seek out information.

Ask the person if they want your contact info.

Be willing to enter mediation.

Ask Bark staff for guidance/support.

Know whose land you are on. There are plenty of resources out there to help you educate yourself about the land thatyou are occupying and its original inhabitants. Find out if the tribes or nations are still in that area. If they are not, find out why not. Have they been forcefully relocated? Pushed out in another way? Acknowledge that you are on occupied land when you say where you are or where you are from. This is an important way to disrupt the “myth of the disappearing native.” Bark has put together this resource: http://bark-out.org/content/how-mt-hood-national-forest-came-be-%E2%80%9Cour-public-land%E2%80%9D